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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The 2104 Peruvian documentary "Finding Gaston" is part of a trifecta of March 1, 2016 DVD releases from New York-based international film giant Film Movement. The other titles are the (previously reviewed) Australian comedy "Sucker " and the (soon-to-be-reviewed) magical French film "Finding Theodore."

The numerous awards for today's movie about celebrity Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio include recognition as the Best Feature Film at NYC Food Film Festival and the Best Jury Documentary Film at the Bel-Air Film Festival. "Gaston" achieving the ideal of its genre in that it equally entertains and educates additionally should make it a contender for a best documentary award at your home.

The following YouTube clip of the "Gaston" trailer fulfills its mission of offering a taste of the film without any spoilers that will reduce the enjoyment of savoring this story.

Film subject Gaston Acurio being very congenial and amusing already places him ahead of his American peers. His personal story and his joint quest to preserve and promote Peruvian cuisine make him a great topic. An terrific scene that highlights all of these attributes involves him visiting a class of hilarious first graders.

Another wonderful school-oriented scene has Gaston rave over a sauce that a parent who is a huge fan prepares. Gaston sincerely paying this woman one of the highest possible compliments seems to be the high point of her current and next lives.

Gaston further nicely showcases his humanity in scenes in which he expresses great regard both for sea creatures and the men who catch them. The overall idea is that the person who prepares the bounty of the sea should fully appreciate the nature of the meal.

Master chef/storyteller Gaston tells the tale of rebelling against his father, who was a prominent Peruvian politician, by secretly learning his craft while said civil servant thinks that his son (who already has a major strike against him) is learning another trade. Gaston follows these salad and appetizer courses with a soup course in the form of an amusing anecdote on his method for raising the money to open Astrid y Gaston, which fans of classic American sitcoms can consider Gaston's Bistro.

Gaston shares his adult life story in the context of Peru (which apparently is the France of South America) repeatedly having outside nations take it over in a manner that threatens to eliminate the cultural heritage of his native land.

The "entree" in the story of Gaston consists of discussing his cooking school and other efforts to introduce people in Peru and other parts of the world to the cuisine that is so near-and-dear to his heart. Witnessing his rock star status among the general public and other highly regarded restaurateurs is the "seconds" in this portion of the film. Seeing Gaston receive one of the highest honors in the world for his profession provides the best possible "dessert"

The numerous scenes of the meals that Gaston and those with whom he works provide good evidence of the worth of his cause and his success in furthering it.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Gaston" is strongly encouraged to email me; you can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy,